Wholesale gas prices for next winter are on the brink of a record of £1 a therm - fuelling fears of further bill hikes for millions of homeowners. The cost of a gas contract for delivery in January 2009 has reached 99.7p a therm on commodity markets, around double the level a year ago. It comes after the UK’s six main energy suppliers raised prices by up to 20% at the start of 2008 due to higher costs.